Spiritual Gifts - The Gift of Mercy

okay we are on the gift of mercy which is the last gift that we have of the seven gifts there will be one more of the series which will be put in the final touches to it putting them all together and if you haven't figured out what your gift is yet you have one more opportunity with that one we consider the last gift which is the gift of mercy and our text verse comes from romans chapter 12 verse 15 rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that we to begin this lesson on the gift of mercy let's see who in scripture best illustrates the motivational gift of mercy that person is john not john the baptist but john the beloved the one that wrote the gospel of john the one that wrote the first second and third books of john and also he was the pendant for the book of revelation so that's the john that we're talking about the guidelines that are given in our text for the gift of mercy is that the individual weep with people and rejoice with people so the person with the gift of mercy is liable to be more emotional than the average person might be the basic principle the person with the gift of mercy needs to follow is that of moral freedom and this is true because it protects the one with the gift of mercy from improper relationships why would this be so important to a person with the gift of mercy the person with the gift of mercy because they can empathize and sympathize with a person that might be misunderstood or something else so this is that's the reason that it's very important that the person will get to mercy have protection from their proper relationships because it is probably easier for the lack of a better term for a person with the gift of mercy to become involved in an improper relationship or be the recipient of improper relationship than all the other gifts simply because of the nature of that gift let's look at the first characteristic deeply loyal to friends a person with a gift of mercy will demonstrate loyalty to a friend by even reacting harshly toward those who attack her when the apostle john watched the samaritans reject jesus when he looked john wanted to call fire down from heaven to consume we find this in luke chapter 9 and verse 54 when his disciples james and john saw this they said lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them even as elias did now james and john were brothers now this is not the james that wrote the book of james all right this is james the apostle they were brothers you find in one reference in the new testament that they are called the sons of thunder there's a reason why they were given that so john especially stands out more of course than than james does more than likely james was the more emphatic of this misuse taking up of offenses see what he mean by this the tendency of one with a gift of mercy is to take up an offense for someone who's being hurt by another person especially if the one being hurt is a friend it becomes personal very personal to a person with a gift of mercy before comfort is given a prophet should check out what caused the hurt and an exhorter should give steps for properly responding to it you begin to see more with the gift of mercy how the other gifts can balance each other and the person with the gift of mercy this is not so much a derogatory statement against the person with the gift of mercy but just simply because this is their nature this is the way that god made them it's important that some of the other gifts especially the prophets balance things out do you remember who was the prophet peter was the prophet brash peter i guess you could call it peter with a foot and mouth disease and you find it time after time peter and john are linked together what prophecy and mercy why because the prophet can tell the mercy hey wait a minute they're taking advantage of you you need to be careful here well the mercy can say to the prophet said hey you need to soften up a little bit back off just a little bit you're too brash you're doing too much here there's a balance there on both ends let's look at the next characteristic need for deep friendships the person with the gift of mercy is not what you would call a fair weather friend a person with a gift of mercy would want to be the epitome of what a friend really is this is the very nature of the personal gift of mercy it requires close friendships that is a need that the personal gift of mercy has and it has to be filled well they're not going to be balanced if their close friend is not the one with the gift of prophecy there's liable to be a little bit of problem there maybe not between the two friends but because the person with the other gift may not be the balance that the person of the gift of mercy needs you see what i mean these friendships however must have a mutual commitment which is often reaffirmed a person with a gift of mercy let me compare it in this way if the husband never tells his wife that he loves her frequently she will begin to wonder and when she questions him don't you love me you never say it he said well of course i love you don't you know that i love you when i do this and that and the other but yeah but open your mouth and say it no matter how much that a couple loves each other they need to reaffirm that frequently not that the other would forget it but it's it's a reaffirmation and it makes that commitment to grow even stronger john enjoyed such a friendship with jesus jesus was john's closest friend and on the other side of the coin john was jesus closest friend to they had a relationship that was not out of line shall we say another that i would compare would be david and jonathan a lot of people want to use that record of david and jonathan back in the old testament to say that it was a homosexual relationship it was not they were very very close friends sometimes in the military especially in combat men of the same platoon or the same squad or the same flight they will have a bond that may be even greater than a marriage relationship but it's a different kind of bond you'll find the same thing can happen when you have policemen deputy sheriffs who have a partner if they do not develop a bond with each other to where they trust each other then there's going to be a problem that's going to be a rocky relationship especially in a law enforcement relationship it helps to protect each other these are examples of the kind of relationship that a person with a gift of mercy needs they have to have in order for them to shall we say be complete with their gift all right john was not only closer to christ than most of the other disciples but he referred to himself as the disciple whom jesus loved they said well he's putting himself on a pedestal no he wasn't john was actually telling the truth because jesus was closer to john that he was and of the others john was mercy now the other apostles had this gift at least as far as we can tell so this was very important to john and i wonder sometimes how much this relationship that john had with jesus how much that contributed to his length of life because john is the only one who died a natural death and that wasn't necessarily because he didn't stand up for jesus he did that's reason he was exiled to the isle of patmos where he wrote the book of revelation but the relationship that john had with jesus really set him up for the rest of his life shall we say jesus loved the others john loved the others but there was a special relationship between john and jesus in john chapter 19 verse 26 when jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple standing by whom he loved he saith unto his mother woman behold thy son such was the relationship between jesus and john that on the cross before jesus died he commended to john the care of his mother he said what is significant about that it was the responsibility of the eldest of the family to take care of the widow the mother now jesus had other brothers why did jesus turn the care of his mother over to john instead of one of his brothers well i believe because of the relationship that jesus and john had and not only that john had the financial means to take care of her as well james and john were a little bit more well off shall we say financially than the others the other apostles be that as it may it was because of the relationship that jesus and john had that john received the care the responsibility of the care of jesus mother and that if you think about it that is a very a very important thing especially in those days all right let's look at some issues becoming possessive the need for commitment in a closer friendship can cause those of the gift of mercy to monopolize the time and attention of others and as he experiences disappointments in one friendship the mercy tends to place greater demands on a new friendship and that may push others away people may think and feel that the person with a gift of mercy is too clingy a person with a gift of mercy may feel like well you can't have any other friends because you're my friend that's something that the mercy has to contend with to be careful with look look at the next characteristic empathize with hurting people the gift of mercy enables the one having it to sense when individuals are hurting and to share the pain with them and along with the pain a mercy senses the full scope of emotions the person with a gift of mercy does not always make a good counselor simply because they would have the tendency to take on too much of the things of the council lead in counseling a person has to put up a barrier beyond which they can never go for their own sake for their own sake otherwise it very easily to burn out john wrote his first epistle to give joy fellowship hope confidence and to cast out fear and permit look at first john chapter one verses three and four that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father with his son jesus christ and these things right we unto you that your joy may be full and then first john chapter 3 verse 2 beloved now are we the sons of god and it does not yet appear what we shall be we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and then again first john chapter 4 verse 18 there is no fear in love or perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment he that feareth is not made perfect in love first john chapter 5 verses 13 and 14 these things have i written unto you that believe on the name of the son of god you may know that ye have eternal life and you may believe on the name of the son of god and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he heareth us powerful words these you know going back to this verse 13 of first john 5 some people have the idea that they cannot know for sure if they have been saved but john dispels that in this verse he said that ye may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of god john is saying here there's no if and what's about it you can't know all right that make a message within itself misuse tolerating evil if those with a gift of mercy do not have spiritual discernment as to why people suffer they may give sympathy and encouragement to those who are suffering as a direct result of violating god's moral lives the one with the gift of mercy can learn discernment by seeing people through the eyes of the other spiritual gifts all the mercy is able to see is that there's suffering and there's hurt there because of their nature they want to relieve that but that's not always what god desires and what god wants sometimes god wants that person to suffer because of their disobedience or their rebellion against him a person with a gift of mercy can actually get in the way of god doing his will and that's something that we we do not want to do all right next characteristic the gift of mercy makes decisions based on benefits those that the gift of mercy find it hard to be firm because they do not want to offend other people therefore the mercy must see that greater hurt and offenses will occur if he fails to be decisive but to be honest a mercy does not always make a good leader unless that person with a gift of mercy has learned to have some of the other gifts as well right when john was faced with denying jesus he demonstrated a boneless and decisiveness which caused the pharisees to marvel look at acts chapter 4 and verse 13 when they saw the boldness of peter and john see those two connected together when they saw the boldness of peter and john and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with jesus these sadducees were very educated upper crust if you will they look down on peter and john because they were just fishermen you know they didn't go to school they didn't have any teaching they didn't have any education oh you're just ignorant you're just fishermen why should we pay attention to you but then they marveled because they saw that peter and john had been with jesus and they could tell it the lord can use a person that doesn't have education a person can use someone who maybe maybe does not have any formal learning the lord can even use someone who can't even read i've seen it many times but what happens is the lord brings somebody alongside that can read and that can help old pastor in jamaica the last word we had this last week he was he's very ill and pretty bad way and his daughter oldest daughter is taking care of him full time now but this this church is the one that i want to way out in the bush high in the mountains and this is the one that we went to very frequently this was also the church that seemed like regardless of what i had preached on they had been studying the week before they always marveled at how the holy spirit could bring some things together so well when i hadn't been there we had no idea about what they were studying and yet the message that i would bring would tie in completely with what they had been studying the week before he couldn't read a word but yet he was a very learned man well he had some things that you know he didn't quite get right but when he would get up to preach man i would think sometimes he won't shut up he just keeps going he said somebody read something touch a verse and they would usually one of the women of the congregation would read it and then he would expound on that verse and boy did he expound and expand and expand and expand but my point is god can use people regardless of what their inabilities might be okay all right let's go back get back to our we'll stop chasing rabbits here and get back to our subject misuse failing to be firm when a person with a gift of mercy is given a position of leadership he will tend to avoid disciplinary action which is needed as a result the person who should have been disciplined is not brought to repentance prophets react to his leadership of course and other mercies react to the prophets you can imagine how a set two like this would come off all right characteristic deeply sensitive to loved ones the gift of mercy carries with it the ability to sense genuine love therefore carries a great vulnerability to deeper and more frequent hurts from those who fail to demonstrate sincere love john used the word love more than any other disciple in his gospel and epistles john is the one who wrote the passage of scripture that just about every person who's ever been to church knows or sunday school john 3 16. misuse lenin known emotion versus reason because those with the gift of mercy have such sensitive feelings they tend to base their decisions on emotions rather than principles their subjective reasoning can easily cause them to reject biblical doctrines which seem harsh to them i don't know whether you've ever known anybody like this or not but they get greatly offended when some of the harder things of the scriptures are given and they will become unreasonable if you will because of that gift because they feel that that hurts a person more than it helps when actually the opposite is probably the truth all right characteristic personal gift of mercy attracts people in distress one with the gift of mercy has a deep understanding of people who are going through mental or emotional distress this sensitivity causes those with hurts to be drawn to him and to confide in him when christ died he transferred responsibility for his grieving mother to john mentioned that before i think sometimes i have this characteristic all through my life it seems like i've always attracted the underdog the underdog seems like that people would come to me that have been put off or rejected by others and my nature was well you're a person too just as valuable as they are i've often found myself sometimes i would use the word saddle with people that i might not have really wanted to be but yet when you have empathy with a person that happens many times in when i was in the air force there were some fellows that were attracted to me that others had no need for you know socially they were outcasts and they were drawn to me seemed like i was a magnet well did that make me an outcast too i don't know maybe it did misuse defrauding the opposite sex a person of the opposite sex tends to be drawn to one who has the gift of mercy remember what i said before that the person with a gift of mercy if he's not careful can become involved in a relationship that shouldn't be just on it this attraction comes about because of the ability of a mercy to be a sensitive understanding and responsive listener this factor must be considered in any relationship which a mercy has for the person of the opposite sex and especially so with a pastor or a counselor a mercy can be very easily misunderstood and the person who is attracted to the mercy may think what it is not and the mercy simply because of their gift has no idea that they are projecting this feeling if you will into the other person and that's not their intent but it can be very easily misunderstood and if the mercy is not his relationship is not what it ought to be with his spouse or her spouse and with the lord then that can present a very highly tense moment of temptation which will not be easily resisted characteristic desire to remove hurts whereas an exhorter will try to help a person find benefit from his hurts the one with the gift of mercy we're trying to remove the source of them the message of john's first epistle was for christians to stop hurting and hating each other first john chapter 3 verse 11 and verse 15. well this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another whosoever hated this brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer have eternal life abiding in him but john's pretty strong here really all right misuse reacting to god's purposes unlike exhorters who look at suffering as a means of receiving more grace and growing spiritually those with the gift of mercy tend to react to the i the other god will allow a good person to suffer this is the thing all through the book of job where his friend said job you must have done something so terrible that god brought all of this on you and we know that job did not but a mercy could react to that unless the person with a gift of mercy maintains a proper perspective you can easily become bitter toward god and i think i know of some mercies that have become that way simply because they have not learned they have not been willing to lie and the harsh things of life that god allows to come they react to and turn away and become bitter toward god all right characteristic measure acceptance by closeness a person with a gift of mercy tends to need a physical closeness in order to be reassured of acceptance the closeness includes rich times of fellowship john sought out the closest place to christ at the last supper and leaned upon the lord remember that his need for physical closeness may also have prompted his request to sit next to jesus in glory mark chapter 10 verses 35-37 james and john the sons of zebedee came unto him saying master we would that thou should us do for us whatsoever we shall desire and he said unto them what would be that i should do for you they said unto him grant unto us that we may sit one on my right hand and the other on thy left hand in thy glory of course i made everybody else upset but that's another message within itself aren't failing to show deference when a person with a gift of mercy demands physical closeness in her friendship he may fail to consider the desires of others who need that person's time for this reason john was gently reproved for his request to be next to jesus in his kingdom all right characteristic attracted to prophets here we go the statement that opposites attract is certainly true with the motivational gifts those with a gift of mercy are attracted to those with a gift of prophecy the firm truth of the prophet is thus balanced with the gentle of the mercy john spent more time with peter than with any other disciple and i might add and a couple this is the ideal match i don't like each other and that's the reason there are balance to each other will it be always harmonious no in no way it's liable to be a little rocky but if they both are what they should be before the lord and in the lord then they will listen to each other and allow that balance to come about luke 22 verse 8 and he sent peter and john saying go and prepare us the passover that we may eat acts chapter 8 verse 14. now when the apostles which are at jerusalem heard that samaria had received the word of god they said unto them peter and john you you see time and time throughout the new testament peter and john peter and john peter and john misuse cutting off insensitive people a person whose words and actions reflect insensitivity to the feelings of other people will be quickly recognized and reacted to by the one with a gift of mercy rather than trying to help this insensitive person the mercy will just tend to close off his spirit and call fellowship with him i don't want anything to do with you well i can understand that but that's not always the way it should be right all right does this describe you you can sense when people have hurt feelings you react to those who are insensitive to others feelings you are able to discern genuine love you desire deep friendships in which there is mutual commitment you seem to attract people who tell you their troubles their problems you find it difficult to be firm or decisive with people you tend to take up offenses for those whom you love you need quality time to explain how you feel you want to remove those who cause hurts to others you often wonder why god allows people to suffer this is the person with the gift of mercy

Channel: International Missionary Baptist Presentations

Views: 5,131

Rating: 4.8279572 out of 5

Keywords: Spiritual Gifts, gifts of the Spirit, Dr. Joseph F. Roberts, American Baptist Church, I Corinthians 13, gift of Mercy, series on Gifts

Id: t7evG5bj7uc

Length: 27min 17sec (1637 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 09 2016